-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For some , Twitter is a social media platform that enables you to keep up with breaking news , raise political issues or offer amusing thoughts . But for many others , including myself , Twitter has become the new `` Fight Club . '' It has in essence become the cyber version of the basement of `` Lou 's Bar '' from that 1999 classic film .

To those who have not made it onto Twitter yet , let 's make something clear : Twitter is not Facebook . Facebook is as dangerous as visiting a P.F. Chang 's . Twitter , on the other hand , is the Wild West in the 1800s -- it 's new , unsettled and often savage .

In `` Fight Club , '' people from all walks of life -- from professionals to blue collar workers -- would nightly shrug off their mundane existence to experience a visceral rush by beating the crap out of each other in the basement of a neighborhood bar .

`` Fight Club '' celebrated the duality of life . By day , actor Ed Norton played a mild-mannered , timid insurance adjuster leading the quintessential life `` of quiet desperation . '' But by night , Norton became his brash and bold alter ego , Tyler Durden , portrayed by Brad Pitt . The difference between these two characters was succinctly summed up by Tyler Durden while talking to his more staid alter ego : `` I am free in all the ways that you are not . ''

This is what Twitter is to many . A place to be free . A place where people from all walks of life are on equal footing to battle each other -- from the rich and powerful to the poor and angry . And on Twitter , you 're not required to be polite like you are in the real world . In fact , cutting and snarky remarks are not only accepted , they are glorified .

But there 's an increasingly dark underbelly to these Twitter fights . What might start out as a disagreement about a political or social issue , at times can escalate into racist , sexist or homophobic rants . In fact , Humboldt University recently created a map entitled `` The Geography of Hate '' which charted the hate filled comments being spewed on Twitter . It 's truly alarming .

I 've experienced it firsthand . Some I 've fought with on Twitter have called me ethnic slurs like `` towel head '' because I 'm of Arab heritage or a `` stupid guinea '' because I 'm also of Italian descent . But these comments are tame when compared to the far more hateful comments launched on Twitter against Blacks , Latinos , gays , and the disabled as noted by the Humboldt study .

I know some reading this are asking : Why do you fight at all on Twitter ? Why not just ignore those people who challenge you ? Sure , you can do that , but as Tyler Durden instructively told us in `` Fight Club '' : `` How much can you know about yourself if you 've never been in a fight . '' So many engage in these battles to test their mettle .

There 's nothing wrong with the great percentage of Twitter fights . You get a chance to test your opinions on issues of the day . In today 's hyperpartisan climate , many just associate with like-minded people and consequently their views on political issues are never challenged . But Twitter provides a forum to debate with others who passionately hold opposing views . True , these battles can become heated and include nasty comments , but for the most part they remain issue-oriented and avoid bigotry .

More than once , I 've engaged in a fiery battle over an issue and then found common ground on an unrelated subject that has led to a Twitter friendship .

After one intense argument with a conservative over President Obama 's policies , we both discovered our mutual dislike of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady . -LRB- I 'm a NY Giants fan and he 's a Buffalo Bills fan . -RRB-

That 's not to excuse the alarming rise of racist , sexist , homophobic and other hate filled comments on Twitter . And while the Humboldt University report does n't indicate how many of these comments were made during Twitter fights , I can assure you that is where I have seen them rear their ugly face most often .

Here 's my plea to my fellow Twitter users : We need to make it clear that there 's simply no place for that type of hate on Twitter . You can win a battle on substance -- or even with cutting remarks -- without descending into the realm of racism and bigotry .

And the best people to police this are my fellow Twitter users . If enough of us collectively speak out , Twitter can become a social media platform where users share info , joke around and even fight with each other , but all without being subject to hate .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah .

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Dean Obeidallah says Twitter has become a home to sharp exchanges , fights

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He says the social network allows people to release aggression

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Obeidallah : It 's inexcusable when people engage in racist , sexist , homophobic rants

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He says Twitter users must unite in declaring there 's no room for hate